Important dates for the Sixth Constitutional Convention were revealed by the Elections System of the Virgin Islands on Tuesday. The calendar outlines April dates for candidate nominations, May filing deadlines, processes for absentee ballots and early voting, voting machine testing, and the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election.
Laws passed earlier this year and at the end of 2022 have the convention beginning in January 2025, with a mandate to produce a proposed Constitution by Oct. 31, 2025. That will be the subject of a binding referendum in November 2026 and, if passed, become the fundamental law of the land as of March 31, 2027 — roughly half a century after the U.S. Congress formally authorized the Virgin Islands to create its own territory constitution.
It would be a monumental achievement, as all previous conventions have fallen apart acrimoniously.
There were two attempts before the 1976 congressional authorization, one in 1964 and a second in 1971, and three after 1978, 1980, and one began in 2007.
The most recent attempt stretched on for roughly five years, ending in 2012 when the Fifth Constitutional Convention failed to meet a federal deadline to make recommended changes to the proposed document to bring it in line with federal laws.
The calendar starts with candidate training in February. On Feb. 6 on St. Croix and Feb. 8 in the St. Thomas-St. John district, candidates can learn how to properly complete nomination papers. Those nomination papers will be available from April 8 and can be circulated after April 14. A class that candidates and their advocates should not miss will be held April 23 on St. Thomas-St. John and April 25 on St. Croix, covering how to properly fill out campaign disclosure reports. Those reports will be due Dec. 30, 2024.
Conventional nominations officially open at noon May 14 and end at 6 p.m. on May 21. Reluctant candidates have another five days to withdraw.
The Sixth Constitutional Convention will be composed of 15 delegates, who must be elected from the legislative districts of the Virgin Islands. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, qualified voters of the Virgin Islands, and a bona fide resident of the Virgin Islands.
A full list of the important dates and instructions can be found on the Elections System website.
